Scooter Blog

UNO III Transformer Electric Scooter

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Aficionados of electric mobility eccentricities are likely already familiar with the UNO. A science fair project of 17-year-old student Benjamin Gulak, the original UNO was something of a cross between a unicycle, motorcycle and Segway. Getting ink in mainstream media outlets like Popular Science, Gulak turned the concept into a business, BPG Motors. Four years later and he’s since continued development, with the UNO II able to “transform” by stretching its parallel wheels into a more conventional motorcycle-like stance. The latest iteration, the UNO III, takes the transformer angle one step further, with a retractable front wheel deploying forward at higher speeds.

BPG refers to its UNO III as a dicycle, operating in two-wheeled mode like a Segway. Classified for road use as a scooter, the U3 can reach speeds of 15 mph in “Uno mode”, the two-wheeled version, with a current top speed of 30 mph once transformed into a three-wheeler (Gulak and company expect top speed to increase with development of the prototype). An electric-powered ride, BPG projects a 30 to 35-mile range and recharge time of three to four hours. The company claims its UNO III will be available in early 2012 with prices somewhere between $5000 to $7500.